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It's Live in the Bream with the host of Fox News Sunday, Shannon Bream. All right, we have got a special Christmas-themed conversation. You may have noted I've been very heavy on these this year. I confess that I started my decorations back in October. I think we need the joy, we need the hope, and we have someone very special to talk to us about another way that you can experience Christmas this year. Pastor Max Licato, thank you for being with us and welcome back.
Are you kidding? I'm the one who's thankful. Great. It's such a treat to talk to you. Thank you a thousand times over. Well, we love hearing from you and you bring us something really special today. You're part of this glorious Christmas package called Because of Bethlehem. And this is one of those special things. It's only going to be in theaters for three days, December 5th, 6th and 7th.
And I got to tell you, it's like a list of all my favorite people I would want to hear from. Tell us about what this is and how it came together. It's an evening of music, an evening of message, an evening of ministry. And yes, it involves some of the greatest artists of our generation. CeCe Winans, Matthew West, Ann Wilson, brand new. Matt Marr has been around. What a dear man he is. And Evan Kraft.
And together we weave an evening of Christmas music and Christmas messages recorded in a beautiful, beautiful setting in Nashville, Tennessee. It's in theaters December 5th, 6th, and 7th. It's a perfect way to step into the Christmas season if you're not Shannon who stepped into it in October. Inappropriately early. Yeah.
But if you need just a little warmth, if you need a reminder as to what makes Christmas Christmas, this would be a great way to spend and eat. Take your bride or your groom on a date, invite your neighbors, take your kids. I think you'll be very, very happy you went.
And this is based on one of your bestselling books, of which you have many. You're too humble to talk about that, but I will. Because of Bethlehem, love is born, hope is here. And in this movie version, you walk us through that the story of Bethlehem is not without hiccups and trouble and challenges, but it was all building to something that would save humanity.
it was all a mess wasn't it i mean from the uh you know unexpected pregnancy to not being able to find a place to sleep to uh the oppression of the government even uh an attempt to you know a genocide they would say the word uh it it was uh
A troubling, troubling time. Yet in the middle of that troublesome time and all those unfortunate events, the greatest hope in the history of the world was born.
And the application is clear. We still live in troubling times. We still live where innocent lives are threatened. And we still live where people are oppressed. And the promise is out of such days, even in the midst of such days, God can bring forth the greatest of miracles.
And I think, Shannon, we really need a little extra Christmas this Christmas. There's just so much sadness everywhere, conflicts, marching in the streets, anger on the airwaves. We just need a little extra Christmas. And so I'm encouraging people, find every opportunity you can find. Avail yourself of every message, all the music, all the encouragement that you can access everywhere.
And make sure that your focus this Christmas is on the hope of God, because we need it. You need it. We all need it. And let's make sure we get some extra Christmas this Christmas. I totally agree. You know, I'm signing on to your statement. Absolutely. I do think there's something special about the season that maybe softens our heart a little bit.
to those who are in need, those we disagree with, those we maybe see the world differently from. I mean, it's a way to come together and spend time with family, have a meal. Maybe it's your only chance to see your family. Maybe it's the one time a year that you really get to travel and be together. Or as you and I have talked about, people who have to be apart for the holidays, whether it's service members or just the traveling is too expensive or economic,
It can't come together. We know that there are a lot of people who are hurting too. And I feel like this beautiful visual with the story, with this beautiful music, it's a great salve, almost a balm for us, whatever the suffering is, if it's more broadly worried about the state of the world or of our country or of personal things that you're walking through, or if you're alone for the holidays, there's hope for every situation. That's the truth.
And maybe there's people, you know, who are in desperate need of hope, but wouldn't go into a church sanctuary or feel put off by going to a service at a church. But they'll go to a movie theater. I know one person who's buying out an entire theater for one showing and taking his entire staff.
This would be a great gift and a great time to do something like that. Maybe just invite your neighbors on your street and say, come over beforehand and we'll have tacos and then go to a movie. Just do something special to make the world a better place. I hope that this particular feature is an encouragement. I'm very confident it will be. And I encourage everybody, don't let this December get to you.
Make a decision right now to be deliberate, to find the Christ in the Christmas and let your spirits be lifted. And what a great way to do this. Again, it's December 5th, 6th, and 7th. Easy to go online, find a local theater where you can go. And like you said, take family or friends or people who may not want to do something more formal or church-related, but still will hear a beautiful message of hope. And...
And you do have so many talented musicians who are part of this. And Matthew West, who's kind of become like the songwriter of this generation of Christian music. He's so talented. He writes for so many other people that folks wouldn't wouldn't recognize. They know his hit songs, but that he has written for so many other artists as well. He has a real gift. And I understand he wrote a song based on your book and we'll see it in this special event.
And it's the craziest thing. He was still working on it five minutes before we began rolling. These guys, they they they're so talented. They're so talented. And it's a beautiful song. I believe it'll be around for years and decades to come. And it's it's it's just one of many highlights of a beautiful, beautiful evening.
Are you going to sing? Are you going to dance? You don't want me singing. You don't want me dancing. No way. I'll do my best not to mess it up. I'm quite sure that you will not. You also have another one of my favorites, Cece Winans. We got a chance to spend a little time with her.
when she was in Washington at the Kennedy Center this year. And man, what a powerhouse. We've got a mutual friend who said to me, and she was kind of embarrassed when I said this to her, but I said, he said to me that you're a preacher, you're a pastor who happens to be a great singer also. I mean, she is somebody who is spiritually deep, but also gifted with these other beautiful vocal melodies and just such longevity in the Christian world. And what a treat to have her add to the Christmas message.
And she has an anointing to her that when she opens her mouth to sing, it draws us all in. She crosses all ethnic backgrounds. Like you say, she's endured through years and years, decades. She's just rock solid in her faith. And she's just a delight as a person.
So it was a real honor that she said yes to be a part of this event. And I think people, when they hear her sing, oh, holy night, oh, they're going to fall over. You might take a defibrillator if you have a heart problem. You've been warned in advance.
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You and I talked in a different chat that, I mean, I love Christmas for all the reasons everybody else loves Christmas too, but I was born December 23rd. My parents gave me the middle name Noel as a tribute to the holiday. I came home on Christmas Day and the hospital put all the Christmas babies in these big red booties. They kind of stuffed the babies down in there and that's how the parents carried them out. So I feel like I had no destiny but to love Christmas the way that I do.
But one of the most beautiful songs I love is a duet that Bebe and Cece did together, her brother of the first Noel. It's one of my favorites every year. And gosh, she has been around for decades just blessing us with these gifts. Are you a singer, Shannon? As in being in the church choir, yes.
As in being CeCe Winans? No. Well, not many, but I bet you have a beautiful voice. I bet you have a beautiful voice. Well, what do you think it is about music that kind of brings it together? Because there are so many Christmas songs, whether you're a person of faith or not, you'll know them. And it is one of those times where you'll look around and see people singing in the store or at the gas pump or wherever it is, because Christmas music is kind of universal. So this event,
I think is a beautiful thing and that you're going to share, but we're also going to hear from people, those songs that kind of unite all of us in that Christmas cheer. And I just, I can't wait to hear stories of entire movie theaters breaking out in song. Oh, yes. These special, special songs. Now, some of them are new songs that,
Maybe you've not heard Matt Marr sing his Christmas song or Matthew. You've certainly not heard him sing the new one yet. But many of them you'll find familiar and find yourself humming along with them. I'm the same way. You know, if I'm at the shopping mall and I hear Away in the Manger or Holy Night or Silent Night, it gives something beautiful about looking around and realizing everybody is singing about or at least hearing
a song about the greatest event in the history of the world, and that is the coming of Christ. And I'm just so thankful that these melodies carry these messages deep, deep into our hearts, even for those who don't know that they're receiving them. And I'm confident that these melodies and messages are making a difference.
Well, you know I listen to them all year. You won't be surprised to hear that. Again, we're talking with Pastor Max Lucado about Because of Bethlehem. It's based on his book of that same name, Love is Born and Hope is Here. It's a three-night event, December 5th, 6th, and 7th, that you will find at your local movie theaters and that you can go and experience this joy together, this message together.
How in the world did this idea come to be? Because this is something over the last few years that's become more popular to have these releases where people can go and watch it in the theaters. You said you're going to be with other people. I do not doubt that there will be singing that breaks out for people. But for a lot of people during COVID, they stayed home. They gave up on movie theaters. It's a tough time for theaters. Why do this special event in this way?
I think that the coming together of message and music is an increasingly popular way to create a special evening. People love going to concerts.
but they're not able to get tickets sometimes, they're not able to travel to the city where the concert is. And so this is a way of bringing events to the people and inviting them to enjoy a special evening, really in a setting that's not frightening to them, that's not threatening to them.
and gives them an opportunity to have access to just a terrific evening. You're correct. We're seeing more and more events like this. And I think it's a great idea, a great idea. December 5th, 6th, and 7th are the only nights
that this presentation will be in theaters. So I do hope people will circle those dates on their calendars and take friends and family and enjoy the evening and prepare yourself for a great Christmas event.
You know, I'll tell you what, I actually, Sheldon and I, my husband are going to be traveling during this time. I actually went online. It was very easy. I put in the zip code of where we're going to be and found the theaters that would be in the area because it's not an area we know. We don't have family or friends there, but we're going to be out of town. And it was really easy. Like five theaters near that zip code popped up. And I thought, OK, this is great. Even though we're going to be out of town, we can go and have this fun experience and maybe meet some nice new people at the theater. Who knows? It might make some Christmas friends.
I bet you will. You might get some new Christmas gifts. You never know. You just never know. You and I have talked about, too, for you that Christmas is so special. Listen, as a pastor, I always feel a little bit bad for pastors because they have all these obligations to preach and special services and Christmas Eve. And we talked about how your kids, that was always kind of part of their experience. But now you have grandkids, too, and you get to see all of this through their eyes.
And it really reminds me that when you're a kid and people say to you, oh, it's better to give than receive. When you're six, it's really hard to buy that. But the truth is, the older you get, I have such joy, as I'm sure you do too, in finding like the exact right thing for somebody and watching them open it and seeing the excitement and the joy that they get from it. And I got to think for you as a pastor, that's the way you feel about this message that you're sharing in this special event.
That, gosh, this is the most beautiful, wonderful gift that somebody could open. And you get to watch as people really digest the Christmas story and think about what it means in their real lives. Everything about the Christmas story is gospel. It's good news. Everything about it, the fact that God would enter the world, tells me that there's no place God won't go to.
The fact that God became a baby tells me that there's no time that I pray that God says, "Oh, I don't relate to what you're going through." The fact that God became a baby and put up with the inconveniences of this life, even had his diaper changed, even had to be breastfed by a mother, everything that we go through, He has gone through, except sin.
This is the great news of the Bible, and that is that he who had no sin, he became sin for us. When he died on the cross, he received on himself the sin of humanity, and he endured it.
the cross and the punishment for our sin so that we'll never have to. But he rose from the dead. You see, what began in the cradle was culminated in the cross and then celebrated in the resurrection. So you can't separate Christmas from Easter, even though our calendar is.
because Christ became a human being, and then He died, and then He rose again. Our gospel is that simple. And the fact that He came first is a harbinger of an announcement. It portends the fact that He's coming again.
And you know, we're in a world in which so many tragic things are happening and so many things are happening quickly. And then a world in which it seems prophetically that things are happening and moving fast.
And so we as believers who believe that Christ came for us, we believe He'll come for us again. We believe that though the world is going to get real crazy, and it is right now very crazy, we can believe, we can have hope, that we don't have to freak out. Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me." So it's possible even in troubling times to live with an untroubled heart.
That doesn't mean we're naive or blind or we cover our ears to the news. No, just the opposite. We see the news. We hear the bad news. But even more so, we see God over everything. And we trust that he'll take this crazy situation in which we find ourselves and he'll work it out for something good. That's our hope. That's our conviction. And that's really the message of Christmas.
It is. And I love your reminder that he came here and took on flesh. I love the verse that says, we don't have a high priest who doesn't understand the trials that we're walking through. Every emotion, every struggle, he's walked in our shoes. And so who better to advocate for us and to be our redeemer than somebody who knows what it's like
to get a scary call. I mean, for him, it wouldn't have been a phone call. But listen, when he was in the garden and the people who were coming to arrest him, those Roman soldiers and leaders, religious leaders who were very unhappy about his following and about what he was doing here on earth, he has suffered fear and he has suffered real physical torture and danger and death.
He's walked through all of those things for us. And so when we call out to him in the midst of our struggles, in the midst of our reality, our human life,
the everyday of the mundane he's walked every bit of that and so what a beautiful thing that he would choose to come here and do that and that is the message because of Bethlehem again max located pastor and author bestseller he has been such an encourager through so much of life for those of us who followed him and always eagerly anticipate the next book he has coming
And you and I have talked about your latest, Pastor, and that also offers a lot of message that no matter how broken we've been, our path has been, the mistakes that we've made, Christmas is again that reminder of redemption, regardless of how far off track we are. We need that reminder, don't we? And so I feel like there might be somebody listening who is putting up a deflector shield saying, oh, that's for everybody except me.
I would urge you, lower that shield. Resist the temptation to resist God's love. You're not an exception to His acceptance. He cares for you deeply. And you know, this is a life-changing love. It's hard to love people if we don't feel love. It's hard to forgive people if we don't know we've been forgiven. It's hard to extend kindness if we've not received the kindness of heaven.
But if we can receive this, if we just trust it, if we'll open ourselves up to the possibility that God cares so much for us, it changes everything. It's like going from a black and white television to a color television. I guess that's an old illustration. But it changes everything. And so I would just pray that everybody today would open their hearts up to that possibility.
Well, again, if you want to know more about this beautiful, very short-term event, music, message, because of Bethlehem, you can go to maxlocato.com or just Google it. Because of Bethlehem, it's very easy to find a theater December 5th, 6th, and 7th, where you can go and get encouragement and laughter and joy and truth and hope and all of those things that Christmas brings us. Pastor, thank you for doing this special event and for joining us to talk about it. It's always a joy to talk with you.
It's always a joy to talk to you, Shannon. Enjoy Christmas. You are especially suited as a December 23rd baby to enjoy Christmas. So I'll call you Noel from now on. I'm going to milk it for all it's worth. God bless you and Merry Christmas, Pastor. Merry Christmas.
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